The Eyes of Your Heart

Ephesians 1:15-17 (ESV) " ...ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's people,  I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.  I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better."

What we are actually hearing here, is the result of Jesus working in Paul's life. The Lord has taken this vicious and violent Pharisee who once pursued and persecuted Christians, and transformed him into a wise and spiritually powerful teacher. Paul, in turn, is now praying for the Ephesian believers to be transformed in like manner.

Paul is showing them some of what he speaks about in 1Corinthians as "the most excellent way" or the way of love. Because he has heard about them, he prays for them continually. The other thing that Paul does is give thanks for them. He is not jealous of their success in ministry, but joyful and thankful…and willing to affirm that publically. Let me ask you…how do you think that things would be different for the church in Squamish, in every community, if every pastor and leader publically praised God and gave thanks for the ministry of the other leaders?

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"And the effect of righteousness will be peace...the result if righteousness, quietness and trust forever."(Isaiah 32:17 ESV).  "Do you know that a little leaven, leavened the whole lump" (1Cor.5:6 ESV).  The Isaiah reading can be looked at from two perspectives. For, without the Spirit poured out, the wilderness will stay just that...wilderness. I am, of course, speaking metaphorically about a believer's life which, devoid of Spirit enabled righteousness, will be marked by anxiety instead of peace. Chaos and suspicion will reign in the place of quietness and trust.  Paul's teaching for the Corinthians also applies. A little measure of u righteousness poisons the whole Christian community, especially if it is allowed to continue unchallenged or, heaven forbid, even affirmed.  A small measure of righteousness bears the appropriate fruit...peace, quietness, trust.

The Man Born Blind

Reflecting on “The Man Born Blind” John 9:1-41

This is a phenomenal teaching passage with lessons for both the congregation and its shepherd.  Jesus is far more concerned with the people than the rules which govern their religious life.  The goal is for us to have the eyes of Jesus instead of the heart of the Pharisee.  We need to actually see the least, lost and broken and engage with them as equals rather than someone we take measured time out of our busy schedule to “do” something to.

The Lord shows us clearly that the package, that which we see from our human perspective does not necessarily reflect the image or the purpose of God. Neither is our timing God’s. To us, it is a horrible thing that this man, according to God’s will and purposes, grew up blind.  However, from an eternal perspective, the blindness is but a fleeting moment and his disability naught but a scratch. 

God may well have a purpose for each of us, as he did for this blind man, that will be completed in an afternoon…perhaps even in a instant.  He could, at this very moment, be setting you up as a marvelous sermon illustration that will bring thousands to faith, but take only an second.  He may ask us to do things that make little sense from the perspective of the world around us, but which effect things beyond us that we cannot ever conceive. All it takes for fulfillment is obedience to see the miracle of his perfect will come to fruition.

And we answer in awe, from our place of restoration, “Whether this man was a sinner I do not know. But one thing I do know…I was blind, but now I see.”  The miracle of our Lord’s undying love is seared into the minds of even his detractors.

Cuba 2013 with Pics!

Cuba Mission 2013

A team of four from the Anglican Network in Canada just returned from Cuba where we

were thrilled to witness God's work in growing and multiplying faithful Anglican congregations, the hunger for the Word, and the opportunities for us in ANiC to play a vital part.  What a privilege! Bishop Trevor Walters and Hungry for Life Team Leader, Edith Watt led a Vision Trip to Cuba from May 21^st to June 1^st.  They were joined by Kristina Nilsson from St. John’s, Vancouver, Ines Gonzales from St. Matthew’s, Abbotsford, and The Rev. Barclay Mayo from Mountain Valley Mission, Squamish. The purpose of the trip was to begin the process of developing sister parish relationships between ANiC congregations and the growing REC Cuban churches. 

This first trip concentrated on the Eastern region between Ciego de Avila and Moa.  We were unable to obtain religious visas, but were still able to visit a new church plant in Florida (pronounced Floreda), a congregation and their surrounding house churches in Hoguin and Archdeacon William Suarez’s congregation in Moa.  We joined up with Bishop Charles and Claudia Dorrington who had already been hard at it for three weeks.  The Rev. Walter Gonzalez from the Hoguin parish and Ines Gonzales acted as our interpreters. Because were restricted from doing anything religious all of the gatherings we attended were parties or meals, the first of which was  Bishop’s Charlie’s birthday celebration at San Pablo, Hoguin.  There was an amazing display of talent and committed faith and we were treated to song, drama, fervent prayer and refreshments.  Mountain Valley Mission has agreed to become the San Pablo parish’s sister church.

Our next visit was with The Rev. Alexei Gonzales Rodrigues at San Paublo de Florida.  This family welcomed us to their very clean, but crowded and basic home.  Their needs are great, but the primary one is for clean water.  The wells are polluted by surrounding outhouses and livestock and both the children and their father have health issues as a result.  This is a common issue in Cuba and one that would do with some attention as we develop these relationships.

We spent a couple of days in Moa visiting with Archdeacon William’s congregation at San Marco.  His wife Rena and a team of the church’s women hosted and prepared all our lunch and supper meals.  We were well looked after!  This is an industrial city that very few visitors get to see; a nickle mine and smelter town with all of the pollution and health issues that usually brings.   However, here is where the most exciting event of our trip occurred. 

One element of Reformed Episcopal Church’s five year plan is to help each of the larger central churches become self-sufficient through the purchase of a farm that can be run to provide both food and income for the parish and its families.  The first of these projects was instituted while we were visiting in Moa.  A farm was purchased and enough funding had been donated to complete the first season’s development as well as equipment, fencing, and livestock purchase.

The whole process was an amazing and miraculous story, much too long to tell here.  Let it suffice to say that the Holy Spirit showed up and opened doors to see God’s purposes come to fruition! 

Much of the population struggles to make do with whatever they can muster. The average monthly family income is $21, less than a dollar a day!  They grow what they can, reuse everything, make parts they can't buy and are very, very resourceful.  There is, however a great need and just a little effort on the part of Canadian ANiC churches could make a huge difference.

 

Bishop Trevor has asked me (Barclay) to coordinate recruiting ANiC pastors and congregations who might be interested in partnering with the REC to help developing Cuban congregations to become more self-sufficient and to plant additional churches. He has also asked Hungry for Life to help ANiC and REC administer those partnerships.  It is our hope to bring representatives from three more parishes to Cuba in January of 2014.  If this is something that would interest you and your congregations please contact me at barclay@mountainvalleymission.ca or by phone at (604) 815-8309.

Barclay+

Perspective

There is nothing like the experience of another culture, particularly a suffering one, to put some perspective on one’s own standards of living and expectations.  I have just spent ten days in Cuba.  Vacationers love this place…at least what they get to see of it.  The beaches are awesome. There is plentiful food, cheap booze and lots of fun things to do and see. It is literally a paradise.

However, there is another Cuba. I would be so brave to suggest that it is the real Cuba…mostly unseen and out of mind.  It is a Cuba where much of the population struggle just to survive; where the average monthly wage is about the Canadian equivalent of $21.  What we would consider “good” food is beyond the budget of most families; new clothing is scarce, needed medicine unavailable.  I was in the 184 sq. ft. rooftop home of a young family of three who considered themselves very blessed to even have their own space.

And yet, there is…at least among the Christian community in Cuba, a real sense of hope for the future. They know they are loved and called to love others in return. They hold fast to God’s promises for the future and share not only the gospel, but their meager resources with those around them.  The Beatitude passage from Luke 6: 20-26 is not only very real to them, but lived out among them.   They were thankful for our presence and our care, but it was us who received the greatest blessing because we had the privilege to see faith in action.   And then we returned home…

Answered Prayer

There are times when Christian believers are in too much of a hurry. Like our secular neighbours, we get hooked by an inappropriate desire for the immediate. Instant gratification is expected, even from our prayer. In that scenario, God becomes our servant rather than the other way around!
That is why I am becoming more and more convinced that fasting and prayer are necessarily two sides of the same coin. They are mentioned together over and over in the scriptures. Fasting requires the intentional passage of time...hours, even days, in which all the activity around food...gathering, preparation, presentation and consumption is replaced by quiet listening. Table fellowship with others is intentionally set aside so that the believer can be with and wait upon the Lord.
It is out of that deliberate space and time that the cry of my heart reaches the Lord, up from the depths of my soul to the ears of God. Then I wait for an answer; my soul waits and hopes - it listens intently and patiently over time for the "still small voice" of God to speak out of the quietness. "My soul waits for the Lord, more than the watchman for the morning." Psalm.130:6 (ESV)
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Religious Observance or Faithfulness

Many Christians never really understand the true call of the gospel or the awesome blessings available for those who assent and pattern their lives upon it. God is not in anyway interested in our pastoral disengaged  religious practices. The true state of our heart is revealed in righteous action on behalf of His people. That behaviour reveals the authenticity of our faith and the actual condition of our relationship with Him.
In Isaiah 58:1-14, the prophet makes it very clear that this is the case. The people ask why God pays no attention to their fasting and worship? The Lord responds, "Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers...Is not the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness...is it not to share your bread with the hungry and to bring the homeless poor into your house, when you see the naked, to cover him and not to hide from your own family?  If you pour out yourself for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted...then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noon day" There is a undeniable link between a believer's behaviour and God's willingness to both hear and respond with blessing.
Jesus confirms this again in the gospel. "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe...and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. Those you ought to have done without neglecting the others...For you clean the outside of the cup and plate, but inside are full of greed and self-indulgence. (Matthew 23:23-36)
Our righteousness is defined by God according to our response to the needs of the poor and homeless, the least and the lost, not by our religious fervour and liturgical observance.